'Serious questions' to answer over News of the World phone tap claims, says Gordon Brown

Gordon Brown, the Prime Minister, has said there are "serious questions"
over Andy Coulson, David Cameron's communications chief, and the News of the
World phone tap claims.

By James Kirkup and Caroline Gammell

3:21PM BST 09 Jul 2009

Speaking at the G8 summit in Italy, the Mr Brown said: "I think this raises questions that are serious and obviously have to be answered."

He added he did not want to say any more until the police had made a statement on the issue.

The Metropolitan Police was initially looking into claims in the The Guardian newspaper that the News of the World tapped into "thousands" of mobile phones belonging to high profile figures. Assistant Commissioner John Yates later said Scotland Yard will conduct "no further investigation".

The Guardian claimed that the News of the World paid more than £1 million to settle out of court claims with a number of people who sued when they discovered they were victims.

Journalists at the Sunday newspaper are alleged to have used private investigators to listen in to calls made by people such as former Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott, Cabinet minister Tessa Jowell, model Elle MacPherson and PR executive Max Clifford. Other alleged targets included Mayor of London Boris Johnson, actress Gwyneth Paltrow and Nigella Lawson. Mr Yates said detectives had found no evidence that John Prescott's phone was tapped.

The Guardian also claimed that one of the out of court settlements went to Gordon Taylor, chief executive of the Professional Footballers Association, who sued and was paid £700,000 in legal bills and damages.

The Guardian said Andy Coulson, the Conservative leader David Cameron's director of communications, was deputy editor and then editor of the News of the World at the time.

Mr Coulson denied having any knowledge "whatsoever" about the settlement with Mr Taylor, and added: "This story relates to an alleged payment made after I left the News of the World two and a half years ago"

He was backed by Mr Cameron who said that Mr Coulson "does an excellent job in a proper, upright way at all time" as his director of communications.

Scotland Yard will now re-examine its original probe to the phone tapping story.

Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson has asked Assistant Commissioner John Yates to "establish the facts" of the case.

"I think we have got a track record of doing exactly what we are supposed to do," he said. "If we need to investigate, we will investigate.

"We will do the right thing and do what we have to do to investigate crime wherever it exists."

Business Secretary Lord Mandelson said the claims in the Guardian should be properly investigated.

"People need to give a proper explanation of what went on, how it was financed, who was involved, and who authorised it," he told the BBC.

"That is what the public wants to know and I believe that the police and other authorities have a job to do."

Former deputy prime minister Mr Prescott said he was "staggered" that a spokeswoman for Mr Cameron had said he was "relaxed" about the story.

He also said he wanted answers from the police over claims that they knew his phone was tapped by private investigators working for journalists.

"For such a criminal act not to be reported to me, and for action not to be taken against the people who have done it, reflects very badly on the police, and I want to know their answer."

The Press Complaints Commission (PCC) said it would investigate any suggestions of "further transgressions" since its 2007 inquiry into the use of subterfuge by journalists.

In a statement, the industry watchdog said: "The PCC has previously made clear that it finds the practice of phone message tapping deplorable.

"Any suggestion that further transgressions have occurred since its report was published in 2007 will be investigated without delay.

"In the meantime, the PCC is contacting the Guardian newspaper and the Information Commissioner for any further specific information in relation to the claims, published today about the older cases, which suggests the Commission has been misled at any stage of its inquiries into these matters."

Mr Coulson resigned in January 2007 after royal editor Clive Goodman was jailed for plotting to hack into the phone messages of royal aides.

The police were called in following a complaint from a royal aide. The Guardian claims that the police discovered the practice was far more widespread than previously thought among journalists at the paper.

Former home secretary Charles Clarke said: "I think it is outrageous. I think we do need action immediately.

"News International has to publish the full list of those that they have bugged, I think that David Cameron has to sack Andy Coulson because his denial is very narrow in the extreme.

"I think David Cameron himself has to be much clearer about the situation. I think that the Home Secretary should be asking the Chief Inspector of Constabulary for a full report about the police behaviour in this whole incident."